On Monday, a Baltimore County Circuit Court dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Dr. Midei against St. Joseph Medical Center.  He is seeking damages against his former employer, the hospital, over a scandal in which he was accused of performing unnecessary heart stent procedures.  The plaintiff’s attorneys portrayed him as a scapegoat for the hospital’s own turmoil and argued that the case should be allowed to go to trial.

However, St. Joseph’s lawyers contended that the suit was invalid because Midei had signed a release absolving the hospital of responsibility when he resigned in November 2009.  Midei was placed on leave in May 2009 as accusations of unnecessary procedures surfaced.  The hospital warned 600 patients by letter that their stents might have been unneeded and more than 200 have since filed lawsuits against Midei.  As a result of all the publicity, Midei has not been able to get a new job.  He was seeking $60 million for each of four counts in the lawsuit.